The Lost Code

Abolition of Seigneurial Tenure

In the 19th century, the seigneurial regime was seen as an obstacle to the economy and industrialization. In addition to having a monopoly on land ownership and milling grain, the seigneur levied lods et ventes—a considerable sum of money paid when a property was sold—which paralyzed the transfer of goods. Furthermore, after the Conquest, the English settled on land belonging to them in the townships, with land clearing their sole obligation. French Canadians envied them and, as of 1788, pleaded for the abolition of the seigneurial regime. They got their way in 1854.

The seigneurs kept their ungranted lands and were compensated for the lucrative rights they had lost. As for the habitants, they were allowed to buy back their land by paying an amount equivalent to twenty times their annual dues. Those who could not afford to do so paid their former seigneurs an annual rent known as constituted or seigneurial rent.

• Private Property and Self-Sufficiency
• Difficult to Own Land